The word 聪明才智 is formed by combining the two-character compound 聪明, meaning "clever" or "intelligent", which itself derives from 聪 (originally denoting acute hearing) and 明 (originally denoting bright vision), with the compound 才智, meaning "talent and wisdom", from 才 (talent) and 智 (wisdom), thus creating a term that collectively refers to intellectual ability and astuteness.